As she woke, Eyes of the Owl was the first to spot it; Who could have climbed so high upon the rocks to cast the tiny flame of a lantern? Surveying the group, she noted everyone was present. Who of us could have gotten up there? And why?

As the beam brightened others began to gather mumbling, whispering and pointing. "What could it be? Let's all turn up the flame on our lanterns to figure out what it is?" Each stood raising her light as high up as she could until arms ached.

Star was the first to come up with a possible source, "Could we be facing east?  Grandfather Sun may be helping Wolf, especially, if Coyote has been at work.  Grandfather is peeking through the opening to show Wolf and us the way!"

There was cheering of thanks to Grandfather Sun. A path of brilliance had been created leading to a glorious aperture at the top. 

Amidst the celebrating, there were exclamations from several, "It looks to be quite a small hole, I hope it appears small because it is so far away and isn't really too small for us to get through."

Liz was reminded of the distorted perception she and Dragonfly had. Wanting to encourage the others,
"Remember how Dragonfly and I were worried we wouldn't be able to make it through that seriously narrow passageway? It worked out okay and so will this." There was a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

"Going up these rocks reminds me of the time Emily, Elizabeth and I rock-hopped the White Rocks for three hours seeming to make little progress. They went up high like this pile. And just kept going." 

Linda told Liz, "I know where the White Rocks are. But what part did you, Em and her daughter climb?" 

"There are giant glacial leavings of cubic quartz boulders. It was like a field of white that seemed to soar into infinity. I hope this climb leads us to something more tangible." Her voice tone a little higher at the end of the statement. 

As she stepped onto the first level of rocks, Strong Heart announced, " I've been a long-distance swimmer, so I know these capable arms," flexing them, " will help me to lift my body through."

"That's why I could force the metal grate away blocking the window in that horrible house. I did it with these strong kicking legs," giving a little kick with her right leg. "Sister Buffalo gives me medicine of sheer power and strength."

 Everyone clapped and yelled. 

Dragonfly volunteered, "I lift weights so I can heft people up to you for you to grab their arms and pull them the rest of the way out."   

"My selfishness and impatience are the reason Sage is here; because I didn't want to wait for her or go into the school with her, like Turtle wanted to." Sage and Turtle put their arms around their friend. "It's the least I can do to help here." 

Up the pile of rocks, without thought, she clamored following Strong Heart. With the extra push by Dragonfly, Strong Heart was able to get a good grip onto the ragged rock. The vision of her receding legs was replaced with strong arms reaching down to pull the next one up. 

 With the aid of Dragonfly's cupped hands forming a foot support, three lantern bearers with packs riding their backs trailed behind.

Turtle was next. Finally, through the opening, she reached down to meet one of Velvet Dove's grappling hands and Strong Heart, grabbed the other. One by one each passed through the hole which appeared as a patch of sky. Father Sky was welcoming them with his loving warmth and joy.
 
It occurred to Liz, Dragonfly was either impulsive or confident. She hadn't even worried if she could fit through the opening. Her enthusiasm carried everyone else up toward the light; each lantern happily being extinguished.

Liz and Linda had only known mystery throughout their entire journey, once the Honda Fit stalled with a dead battery. The road was so thick with what her parents called pea-soup fog they never got to see any landscape. No "Big Sky Montana" as their friend Em had lauded.

Neither she nor Linda had any idea what scenery awaited them. Will there be just more obscurity? Or something we've never seen before? 

Linda, the logical one, posed a rhetorical question, "How high up do you think we are and how much further do we have to go to get these girls safely home?"

************

The teens began chanting to Grandfather Sun, Father Sky and Earth Mother. Clutching the soil of her soul in their hands they raised them up in praise and gratitude.  

Liz and Linda were awed by 'Big Sky Montana'. They'd never seen so much sky. Even if you stood on a mountain in Vermont, their home state, there would never be that much sky visible. There'd be another mountain somewhere blocking the view. 

"This is just like Em described it." 

"There is so much sky."
 
Eyes fixed on the sky as they climbed from the final opening to the lip of the cave, Liz noticed, "Why did it get so quiet?"  Lowering their heads, they soon found out. 

The stark poverty on the Reservation could be seen everywhere, with litter-strewn dirt roads weaving around tattered buildings and abandoned homes. Cars sat on blocks missing a wheel, others, on the side of the road, stripped of anything that would bring the tiniest bit of cash.

It was the first time any of these teen daughters and granddaughters had ever seen the full panorama of destruction. Their hearts ached and longed to be with their loved ones, friends, and those living side-by-side.  

Sky spotted the empty gaming hall, "That gaming hall held so much promise for our tribe. Now, it just stands there with its lonely deserted marquee sign. It was such a bust."

She grumbled, "The neon lights still flicker through my bedroom window at night, flashing on the walls. Spirits seemingly carrying the message for all. That of defeat. This all began with colonialism and has not improved significantly."

"The government said we could run a casino but couldn’t serve alcohol. Most people go to casinos to drink and win money. The two clearly go together. Without alcohol, all bets are off." Her last three words were filled with bitterness, "It crippled us."

She went on with more appalling information. "A couple of years ago it was closed by the government for violations. How convenient. The tribe has tried to get it up and running again. But any requests seem to have fallen on deaf ears. No surprise."

A wide band of deep orange formed an upper margin
while the two Vermonters, puzzled, scanned from side to side. "Why are there oil wells and drilling equipment for natural gas?"  

"And the worst scarring of Earth Mother with fracking and scrafing the terrain for coal?" added Runs the Field.

"Because few of us have indoor plumbing. Large companies offer a significant amount of money for some of our land; it's an opportunity for us to have running water, extravagant flush toilets." 

This question definitely set the girls off. Strong Heart jumped in, "First, the government gives us land then cheats us out of decent money to get it back from us. Oh sure, it helps with a little income for the workers, but the government or some other company gets the profits from our land."
   
Sage explained their struggle of conscience, "They struggle with their immediate needs versus the pride and prayer of caring for the earth." 

"Some cut the deal, others decline it. Judgment and guilt regardless of which decision they make, hauntingly accompany them." 

"Some of the large companies are non-native owned but the Navajo own the coal company. This really causes bad feelings between us and them. Somehow the government has found a way to pit us against each other." 

Sky made a facial expression as if deeply thinking, "And yet the Navajo would be starving and in as much poverty as we are. I'm sure we'd do the same thing." Her voice lowers, "It's just they got there before us."

Liz wondered, How can they, in conscience, call that progress and sleep at night. But, I guess when money and survival are a priority, people's perspective, principles, and values morph into something never intended.

"The destruction of sacred historical land weighs heavily." Velvet Dove informed them, "A 2,000-year-old prehistoric area where bison were killed was destroyed by a bludgeoning backhoe." A sad silence followed.

Attempting to raise the moral and change the topic, she added, "The tribe is attempting to ensure the water supply remains uncontaminated." 

The mention of the water supply touched Strong Heart. 

"With my sister in a coma, I'm worried about my grandparents who raised both of us. They rely upon her to lug water for them. Just like the majority of families, we have no indoor plumbing. I've been taking up the slack for my sister. So, I don't know who was able to help them without me there."  

"My sister seemed to be following the example of our parents who were deep into drugs. At least Mother surrendered us to her parents; she couldn't take good care of us anymore." 

"My sister was doing so well until she was abducted. Clearly, that'll put anyone over the edge. Her struggles grew more serious after that. But that's a long story for another time."

The girls expressed gratitude for their safety. They knew how close they had come to becoming a mere statistic. Star gritted her teeth, "In 2016, 5700 cases of Native women in the US and Canada went missing in one year. But if you look at the Department of Justice data base there are only 116 murdered or missing accounted for. We say they are like sand falling through the cracks."
Her bitterness was justifiably sharpening as she reported, "Many of the reports are tossed into the circular file or shredder, never to be seen again along with the woman or teen named at the top of the paper."

"Old and new emotional wounds have opened up," Velvet Dove observed, "Let's hope the next leg of our journey will bring some degree of healing. At least we know we will soon be seeing our families and loved ones whose hearts may be feeling as if they've been ripped apart. They still don't know if they'll ever see us again."

This thought made several begin yelling, their voices echoing downward in the direction of the out of earshot homes, 

"We're up here.

"We're on our way"   

"You'll be seeing us soon."

"And holding us."

"And hugging us."